Romeo Gone Bad
by beachchick4
Summary: Sydney meets a fellow ranger who's interested in her. After much persuasion, she gives him a shot. Will Gage just let her be, or will he finally take a stand? And is Syd's really Romeo all he appears to be?
1. PREVIEW

Preview: A fellow ranger, and no not Gage, is interested in Sydney. Syd, being Syd, makes it clear she isn't interested. But having her soft side, she eventually gives in. But how does Gage feel about all of this? And more importantly, what happens when Sydney's Romeo isn't as nice as he seems???


	2. Chapter 1

"Hey Gage." Sydney said as she walked into the office holding her coffee.

"Hey Syd." he answered from his desk.

"Good morning Sydney." Walker smiled from across the room.

"Morning Walker." Syd responded. "Where's Trivette?" she asked.

"He's showing the new ranger around." Gage answered.

"Rookie?" she guessed.

"No actually," he answered, "he just transferred here from some unit it California. His reputation is as good as Walker's!"

Walker looked at Gage and raised an eyebrow. Gage said,

"Did I say as good? I meant almost as good as Walker!"

Sydney laughed as she asked, "What's his name?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself." Trivette said as he entered through the door with a man following clossely behind.

The new ranger was about Gage's height and build, he had dark hair, almost Italian, and wore a cowboy hat.

"Hi," he said, "I'm Ranger Malone."

"Nice to meet you Ranger Malone, I'm Ranger Cooke." Sydney greeted him as she shook his hand.

He looked at her and smiled as he said, "Please, call me Chris."

"Sydney." she introduced herself.

While Walker and Gage were being introduced Sydney noticed Chris keep glancing at her. Sydney thought annoyed,

"Oh man, he better not be interested. We're the same age and he's not wearing a wedding band. He is so not my type."

But nether the less she remained pleasant as she commented,

"I see you have you official Texas head gear."

He touched his hat and asked,

"It's not too much, is it?"

"No," Sydney smiled, "it's fine. We wear them all the time."

The day was a quiet one, and as they left Walker asked them all, including Chris,

"Do you want to meet Alex and me at C.D.'s tonight?"

Everyone nodded and Chris asked,

"What's C.D.'s?"

"Not what," Trivette corrected, "who. He's a retired ranger, he owns a bar. I'll give you directions."

"Cool," Chris smiled, "I'll see you there."

Sydney, Gage, and Walker walked to their cars as Trivette got out a map.

"What do you think of the new ranger?" Gage asked Walker.

"I'm not sure," Walker said while thinking hard, "I like him so far. But there's just something about him that I can't put my finger on."

"He's okay," Gage said, "but he couldn't keep his eyes off of you Syd!!"

"Me?!" Sydney said while pointing to herself.

"No Sydney," Walker teased, "Trivette."

"So come on," Gage teased again, "are you interested?"

Sydney fake punched him and said, "No! And even if I was, I wouldn't be sharing it with my male partner and boss!"

Walker laughed as Gage pretended to be hurt,

"Aw come on Syd!" he cried, "That hurts!"

Sydney rolled her eyes as she got into her car and waved goodbye to Walker and Trivette.

"Men." she thought to herself as she drove away.


	3. Chapter 2

Sydney laughed at the joke C.D. had just made. He always knew how to put on a smile on someones face.

"So Chris," Alex asked, "what's it like in California?"

"Well," Chris smiled, "let's just say that there are definitely fewer cowboy hats!"

A buzzer rang from the back and C.D. said,

"My goodness, that pie is done already! I'll be right back."

While C.D. was gone Gage asked Walker,

"So have there been any leads on the McSteve's case?"

"Yes actually, with the evidence we aquired today our case is already won. Right Alex?" Walker smiled.

"Right," Alex answered, "but I do hope that's the last we'll be talking about work. I swear, if I hear one more thing about that trial I'm going to die!"

Walker chuckled but promised,

"Okay, no more work talk."

"Chris," Trivette asked, "have you settled into your apartment?"

"Yes," Chris answered, "I just finished unpacking today."

"Be right back." Sydney said as she walked towards the bathroom.

While she was gone C.D. came back with pie, then went on with one of his war stories. Gage, having heard this one before, talked to Chris instead while everyone else pretended to listen to C.D..

"Do you like Dallas so far?" Gage asked.

"Oh yah!" Chris exclaimed, "It's amazing!"

They talked about miscellaneous things until Chris quietly stated,

"So . . . you seem pretty close to Sydney."

"Yes, well, she is my partner." Gage answered cautiously.

"But are you two, like, . . . together?" Chris asked awkwardly.

Gage choked on the water he just swallowed and answered quickly, "Me and Syd? No, of course not! We're just friends."

Chris smiled and asked, "So, she's single then?"

"Yah, why? Are you interested?" Gage asked protectively.

"Maybe," Chris answered, "do you think I'd have a shot?"

"I doubt it," Gage answered confidently, "Sydney never dates."

"Maybe I can change that." Chris responded mysteriously.

Ten minutes later and Sydney still had not returned from the bathroom.

"I think I'll go check on her." Alex said as she got up.

Gage tensed, hoping Sydney was okay. Maybe she got sick . . .

Alex came back quickly,

"She's locked in there!"

"What?" Gage asked.

"I heard yelling in there and I tried to open the door but it was locked. She heard me and said she's been spending the last fifteen minutes trying to open the door but it's stuck!"

As the group headed towards the bathroom C.D. exclaimed,

"What in tarnation?!"

"Syd," Walker called from outside the bathroom door, "you in there?"

"Yah, it's me." she called back, "Boy this is embarrassing! I don't know what happened, the door won't open."

"Let me see." Trivette said, inspecting the door hinges. "The hinges are stuck on something!"

"What on earth?!" C.D. cried, "Not in my bar! How could this have happened?!"

Walker tried the door again, but it was stuck.

"What now?" Alex asked in concern.

"We'll have to break it down." Gage answered. He moved forward to kick the door down but before he could take another step Chris said,

"I'll do it, watch out Syd!"

Gage felt himself boil in anger. How dare he call Sydney, Syd! He hadn't even known here twenty four hours and he was already getting too comfy. And who was he to get Sydney out?

The door came tumbling down and there stood a blushing Sydney who said,

"Thanks Chris. And just to let you know, this sort of thing doesn't usually happen on a daily basis."

Chris laughed and said, "Anytime."

Later that night when Gage was driving home he wondered why he was so inflamed by Chris. After all, he was just trying to be helpful. And Syd deserved a little love in her life, Chris wasn't that bad. But that's when Gage realized that the reason he hated Chris flirting with Sydney was because . . . Chris wasn't him.


	4. Chapter 3

_Note From Author: Please review!!!_

Sydney sat at her desk in the empty office finishing up some paperwork. It had been two weeks since the incident at C.D.'s. Every now and then Gage would bring it up, causing her to blush. But it also caused Gage a black eye. Sydney chuckled at the memory, Gage and her had been working out in the gym when he had teased her one too many times . . .

_Flashback:_

Gage laughed, "What's the matter Shorty? Can't reach my face, you'll have to do better than that if you want to hit me!"

Sydney laughed back and aimed for his nose, but he blocked her punch and pinned her to the ground.

Gage continued, "Apparently you were also too short to reach the bathroom door handle at C.D.'s."

Sydney blushed violently and tried flipped him over.

"Oh yah, . . . Francis. Just watch this!"

Sydney jumped up on him, a little too quickly and knocked him to the ground.

"Wow Syd" he teased, "you're so short you had jump just to attack me. Now that's sad."

Since Gage was so caught up in his laughter, and Syd so caught up in her aggressiveness, Sydney was not aware that Gage was completely distracted. Causing him to get full impact from the punch she through right into his shocked face.

He had a black eye for days.

_End Flashback_

She and Chris had become a little closer, but for some reason Gage always tensed up when Chris was around. Syd liked Chris, sure, he was a little over enthusiastic. But he was friendly enough. She didn't know too much about him, he was pretty private about his life in California. But she figured that life had been tough for him back there, why else would he ask to be transferred to Dallas?

Today she was the only one in the office, Walker and Trivette were at some bank robbery. Alex was at court. Gage was following up some leads on their latest case. And Chris . . . well, to be honest, she didn't know exactly where Chris was. She looked around the office full of desks until she found his. It still had his coat and coffee so he couldn't be done for the day. Syd stretched her neck to get a better view, his keys were still sitting on top of some uncompleted paperwork. But Chris was no where in sight.

"Come to think of it," Sydney thought, "I haven't seen him since early this morning. Where could he be?"

Just when she was about to let it go who else but Chris comes strolling into the office. Syd smiled up at him and asked,

"Hey Chris, where have you been all day?"

"Oh," he replied, "I've been around Syd."

Sydney flinched ever so slightly when he called her "Syd". She didn't mind him calling her Syd, that much anyway. It just seemed weird to her that he started calling her by her nickname since day one. No one else had called her that until she got to know them. Gage was actually the one who gave her the nickname. On their first assignment together, she had protested at first. But eventually she grew fond of her little nickname and let him call her it without protest. Sydney smiled at her memories. But then she was brought back to reality when Chris said,

"So Sydney, you busy this weekend?"

Sydney answered the question carefully,

"I'm not sure actually, why do you ask?"

"Well, I was wondering," Chris said confidently, "if maybe you'd like to get together."

Praying he wasn't saying what she thought he was saying Syd smiled and answered,

"You mean like at C.D.'s?"

Chris shifted his weight and said,

"No, I meant at a restaurant or something. Like, . . . a date."

Sydney choked on nothing but quickly regained her composure,

"Uh Chris, I don't think-"

But Chris interrupted her and said,

"I know it's sudden, but I really like you. Just give me a shot! Please?"

It was hard to look at his pleading face but she said,

"Chris, I'm flattered, really. But I don't think about you that way. I think it would be best if we stayed just friends."

"Why?" Chris protested.

"Well, uh . . ." Sydney didn't know how to respond.

"Come on." Chris said as he rubbed her arm.

This snapped Syd back and she brushed away his arm,

"Listen, Chris. I'm sorry, but I have to say no."

"But-" Chris said, and was interrupted by Syd.

"Chris, seriously. No."

He opened his mouth again but Sydney got up and walked out the door,

"Chris, I'm not interested. I have to go."

Then Sydney left the room trying to snap out of her state of shock.


	5. Chapter 4

_Note From Author: Review, review, review!!!! (Sorry this chapter is kind of short!)  
_

Sydney walked out into the hallway and towards the elevator in a state of shock, annoyance, and confusion. She had always had her suspicions that Chris liked her, but she never expected him to act on those feelings. And why was he being so pushy about it? She couldn't tell what she was feeling more, flattered or creeped out.

As she entered the elevator she ran into Gage. He opened his mouth to say hello, but then closed it as he saw Syd's confounded face and her rush to get into the elevator. Instead of getting out of the elevator, he stayed with Sydney as the door closed. Syd looked up in surprise,

"Hey Gage."

"Hi, . . . are you okay?" he replied.

"Uh," Sydney said, "I'm not exactly sure. Sort of."

"What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost!" Gage asked lightheartedly.

"It's Chris." Sydney said more calmly.

"What about him?" Gage asked with a slight tension in his voice.

"Well . . ." Sydney started to say, but couldn't continue.

"Syd, did he do something?" Gage asked.

"He, . . ." Sydney took a deep breath, "he asked me out."

Gage, very similar to Sydney's reaction, choked on nothing.

"Like, on a date?" Gage asked in shock.

Syd nodded.

"Well?" Gage pressed.

"Well what?" Syd replied.

"Did you agree?" he asked.

Sydney said nothing at first, thinking,

"Why should I tell Gage about my social life? It's none of his business anyway."

But as Syd thought about the idea of ever dating Chris, she couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.

Gage smiled and said, "I'll take that as a no."

"Of course not!" Sydney gasped, still laughing.

While Syd was still in the middle of her laughing fit the elevator doors swung open. And there stood Trivette and Walker. Trivette was wide eyed as he looked at Sydney in shock. Walker just smiled and chuckled slightly. Right when Walker was about to say something Alex walked up behind him and looked at Sydney trying to control herself.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

Sydney took a deep breath and stopped her hysterics,

"Um, hi." was all Syd could think to say.

Walker then asked with a smile,

"Something tells me I don't want to know."

"That's probably a good idea." Sydney answered.

They all joined Syd and Gage in the elevator and headed up to the office. Now that she had regained her composure, Sydney didn't mind facing Chris again.

When they entered the office Chris was no where in sight. Syd frowned, she hoped she hadn't hurt Chris' feelings. She liked him, . . . just not the way he liked her.

Later that day when Sydney was packing up to leave she found a small note placed under her keys. She curiously picked it up and read it. It said,

"Syd,

If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me. I know we haven't known each other that long, but I think this could really work. I love you, even if you don't love me. Yet.

Love,

Your Romeo (aka Chris)"

Every bone in her body told Sydney to crumple up the note and never give it another thought. Couldn't Chris understand that she simply wasn't interested in him?! But for some unknown reason she subtly placed it in her bag. She didn't know what she was going to do with it, but for some reason she wanted to keep it. Perhaps it was her ranger instincts, she had been trained to keep all "evidence" no matter how insignificant it seemed. Sydney figured she throw it out when she got home. But by the time she entered her apartment she had completely forgotten about the note. It never made it to the trash can. Instead it aged at the bottom of her purse, slowly gaining dust . . .


	6. Chapter 5

_Note From Author: Sorry this chapter is kind of short! Please review!_

It had been a week since Chris had asked her out, and he still wouldn't stop pushing about it! Every day when Sydney opened her desk she would find a red rose petal in there, she had 7 so far, one for each day since Chris asked her on the date. At first Sydney had as politely as she could manage told him that she wasn't interested and to please move on. But after a few days she got tired of it and ignored the petals all together. She just left them there to gain dust like her note.

It was Friday, around noon, so Syd decided to go out for lunch. Gage and Alex were caught up in work, Walker and Trivette were out on duty, so Syd decided to go by herself. As soon as she stepped out of the office the bumped into Chris.

"Hi." Sydney said, trying to be polite.

"You going somewhere?" he asked.

"Maybe, why?" Syd answered.

"Well, I was thinking maybe I could take you somewhere for lunch." Chris smiled.

Sydney rolled her eyes and walked right by him. She was walking quickly but Chris ran to catch up with her. When he reached her side and said with a puppy dog face,

"Come on Syd, please?!"

"Chris!" Sydney exclaimed, this time not bothering to be polite, "Learn to take no for an answer!!!"

Sydney then stormed off again, hoping Chris wouldn't follow. He didn't seem at all alarmed by her outburst and followed her as he said,

"Relax Sydney, it doesn't have to be a date. Just two friends eating lunch."

Sydney ignored him and continued to a walk away,

"Fine then," Chris continued, "two coworkers having lunch together. We can even talk about only work if you like!"

"Chris," Sydney said sternly, "don't make me punch you! And don't think for a minute I won't!"

Before Syd could storm off again Chris grabbed her arm and asked her,

"Could you at least tell me why you don't want to date me? And don't say it's because I'm being to pushy, because you said no the first time I asked you too."

Sydney opened her mouth to tell him off, and then closed it. She tried to think of a reason why she didn't want to date Chris, but couldn't really come up with any.

"I just don't feel a connection." Sydney mumbled.

Chris smiled, realizing he had proven his point,

"But Syd, how do you know there's nothing between us if you didn't even give it a shot?!"

Sydney, realizing she couldn't win, walked away. Chris didn't follow her, but her did yell,

"Admit it! You're afraid to date me! You're afraid to date anyone!"

Syd hurried her pace to reach her car in record time. As she began to drive to no where in particular, she thought about what Chris had said,

"Could he have a point?" Sydney asked herself, "Why don't I want to date him? He's an okay guy, why did I say no? I haven't gone out on a date with anyone in months! But then again, no ones asked me . . . why? Do I come off uninterested? Am I pushing people away?"

Sydney sighed, completely confused.

"Chris is kind of cute I guess, and he's really sweet. A little pushy and stubborn maybe, . . . but aren't I stubborn too? There isn't a real reason why I don't want to date him. Maybe I should give him a shot, . . . maybe."

Syd knew it would be good for her to get out, she might even enjoy herself. Her and Chris were more alike than she wished to admit. They were both rangers, both tough, both stubborn, and both kind. A perfect match.

Sydney bit her lip, trying to process her thoughts. One side of her, her quiet side, was screaming at her to take a risk and say yes. But her other side, her louder side, was screaming at her to ignore Chris.

"Then again," Sydney thought to herself, "listening to my louder voice hasn't gotten me anywhere."

And the truth was, Syd was lonely. She didn't have any nearby relatives, she didn't have any recent relationships, and work occupied her so much that her only real friends were her coworkers. Every now and then . . . she felt feelings for Gage. But only every now and then, and he didn't seem to be showing any interest back. Sydney figured it was only because they were such close friends. Therefore, why shouldn't she date Chris?

Sydney sighed as she pulled over her car and placed her head in her hands.

"What the heck do I do?!" she said aloud.

A few minutes later, she pulled out her cell phone to call Chris. At first she didn't want to call him just because she felt like she had too. Which is why she had thought about it some more. And the more she thought about it, the more she realized that she did have the tiniest bit of attraction to Chris. She decided to call him, not to change her ways, but to give her feelings a shot.

She bit her lip nervously as she waited for him to pick up.

"Hello?" he answered on the third ring.

"Hi Chris, it's Sydney. You still want to have lunch?"


	7. Chapter 6

Syd laughed at the joke Chris had just made, she was glad she had agreed to go out for lunch with him. After their laughter died down, he asked her,

"So Syd, what made you change your mind?"

"Change my mind about what?" she asked, momentarily forgetting her indecision about going on a date with Chris.

"About dating me." Chris continued.

Sydney stiffened and launched back,

"Just because I went on one lunch date with you that doesn't mean we're dating."

"Do you want to be?" Chris asked.

Syd opened her mouth to answer, then closed it.

"Uh, . . ." she mumbled.

Chris sensed her indecision and assured her,

"Listen Sydney, I don't want to rush you. We can take this slow if you want, one date at a time."

Syd smiled and replied,

"Thanks, that means a lot to me."

It was quiet for a moment, then Chris asked,

"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you change your mind?"

"Well," Sydney answered, "it wasn't really one distinct thing. Just a some stuff you said got me thinking, and I realized you were kind of right. I've been sort closing myself off from everyone, or at least, from guys if you know what I mean. I guess I was . . . scared to date someone, you know? I was trying to protect myself, but I ended up causing myself more harm than good. And I-"

She suddenly laughed, but it was a fake laugh. With slightly watery eyes she said,

"Nice going Syd, first date and you're already pouring your heart out. Listen Chris, I'm sorry. This isn't really lunch date conversation, I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable or anything. I-"

She stopped again, this time by Chris. He put up his hands, motioning her stop, and said,

"Syd, listen, it's fine. I don't care what we talk about, as long as I'm talking with you. You obviously have some stuff on your chest that you need to get off. You can talk to me about it anytime you want, and I mean anytime."

Sydney laughed again, this time for real. But it was a soft laugh, kind of like a chuckle only meant for herself. But Chris heard it and laughed,

"What's so funny this time?"

Syd looked up at him, for she had been looking at the ground, and asked him,

"Is this all a dream?"

"No, why?" he asked.

"Because," she answered, "in the last hour I have done everything I never thought I would do: I went on a date; I went on a date with you; I poured out some of my most deepest secrets; and . . . I'm happy right here, right now."

Chris smiled back at her and reached out, holding her hand. He held it, but more importantly . . . she held it back.

The touching moment was broken up by Chris exclaiming,

"Oh my God! Look at the time! We'll be late, we'd better get going!"

Sydney had picked him up at the office in her car so as they left the small cafe they had been eating in, they entered the same car together and drove back to work. The car ride was relatively silent compared to their talkative lunch date. The only exception was when Chris asked,

"So, do we tell anyone about this?"

"No, not yet." Sydney answered, "Let's not mention anything about until things get official or serious."

"Okay," Chris agreed, "however you want it to be. For now, we're just two friends who ate lunch together."

She smiled at him, and he smiled back. But their connection didn't last long, for Syd had to keep her eyes on the road. When they got back to the office, everyone was there.

Walker, Trivette, Gage, even Alex! They all looked up as she and Chris entered the room, Syd felt herself blushing but Chris kept his cool.

"Hey guys, what's up?" he asked.

He then joined the group and they began talking about some new drug ring. During the conversation Gage approached Syd who was sitting quietly on the outskirts of the group.

"Hey Shorty, what's up?"

She smiled at him and playfully punched his arm.

"Nothing Francis." she teased.

He chuckled and then asked,

"So how was lunch?"

Syd felt her cheeks grow hot and her legs shaky. Did Gage suspect her?

Before she could answer he continued with a smile,

"I'm sure it wasn't that good, considering I wasn't there!"

She forced a laugh with him and joked,

"Yah Gage, you're the only source of happiness in my life. Well, you and strawberry milkshakes."

They both laughed, but Gage could tell that Sydney's was forced.

"Hey Syd?" he asked.

"Yah Gage." she replied.

"Are you okay?" he continued.

"Of course," she said stiffly, "why wouldn't I be?"

"You just seem to be acting, . . . I don't know. Different."

"Well I'm fine Gage."

"You sure Syd?"

"Positive." she answered in a slightly annoyed voice.

It was silent between them for a minute until Gage asked,

"Are you hiding something from me?"

"No! Now will you quit asking me that?!" Syd exclaimed.

Then Sydney blushed (she seemed to be doing a lot of that lately) because the had answered Gage a lot louder than intended. Everyone in the room was looking at them strangely. She made eye contact with Walker, who was looking at her with questioning eyes. She shrugged, silently apologizing. He nodded, and then put an end to the awkward silence in the room by bringing up some convict and sparking a conversation.

She looked back at Gage and whispered,

"Sorry about that, I'm a little off today."

Before he could speak she continued,

"I have a lot of paperwork to do, I'll be at my desk."

And with that she walked to her desk and began to work silently and diligently for the rest of the day. Every now and then she would steal glances at Gage and Chris, but she never made sign to approach them and nor did she speak. When the day ended she got up from her desk and muttered a quiet goodbye to everyone. Then she walked, well more like ran, to her car and didn't look back the whole way to her apartment. In short: she was completely messed up and confused.


	8. Chapter 7

Sydney sat at a fancy dress in an expensive restaurant fidgeting with her hands nervously. She was on a date with Chris, but not just a date, it was their first public date. Syd still remembered Gage's reaction when she told him. She had told him last, Walker and Trivette seemed to be cool with it but Gage was in shock.

_Flashback:_

_"Gage, I need to tell you something." she told him._

_"What is it Syd?" he asked while looking the other, preoccupied with something else._

_Sydney cleared her voice, trying to get his attention,_

_"It's about Chris. Well, actually it's about Chris and me."_

_Gage turned around to face her, she had his full attention now._

_"What about you guys?" Gage asked._

_"Well, he kind of asked me out again." Syd said awkwardly._

_"Did you tell him to bug off?" Gage asked with a false smile._

_"Uh, not exactly." Sydney told him._

_"Sydney, what did you tell him?" Gage asked seriously._

_"Uh, I kind of agreed." Syd answered._

_"What?!" Gage exclaimed, "You're kidding right? I thought you didn't feel that way about Chris."_

_"Well, I didn't," she answered, "but I do now."_

_"It's been only two weeks since he asked you out! You can't change your mind that quickly!!!" Gage protested._

_"Well, I did," Syd said firmly, "and I don't know why you're making this into such a big deal."_

_"Well," Gage stuttered, "it's because, I . . . uh, I don't think you guys are right for each other!!!"_

_Sydney laughed, "Oh really? And how would you know Gage? This is my relationship, not yours."_

_"But-" Gage said, only to be cut off my Sydney who said in a more calm voice this time,_

_"Gage, listen, I'm sorry if you disagree with my decision, but it's my decision. I really like Chris, okay? Please don't say anything to him. This won't change anything! Besides, wasn't it you who told me that when I found a guy who was good enough for me he wouldn't be intimidated?"_

_"I guess so, sorry Syd. I kind of blew up I guess. It was just so unexpected! Sorry."_

_"It's okay Gage." she told him._

_As she walked out the door she heard him whisper to himself,_

_"But wasn't it you who kissed me right after I told you that?"_

_She pretended not to hear him._

_End Flashback_

As Chris returned to their table from the bathroom Syd cast out any images or thoughts of Gage and smiled at Chris. Gage seemed to have gotten used to the idea of her and Chris dating over the past few days, things were okay between them. So for once in her life Sydney was completely happy. Her friendships were intact, and she might even be in love.

"Hey Syd," Chris smiled at her as he sat down, "ya miss me?"

"Always." Sydney smiled back at him.

"This was really fun Syd." Chris told her.

"Yah Chris, I haven't had this much fun on a date in years!" Syd agreed.

"I'm really glad you decided to give me a chance." Chris said more softly as he reached across the table to grab her hand.

Sydney reached for his hand as well as she answered,

"I'm glad I did too."

They had already finished eating their dinner, so their waiter approached the table and asked,

"Are either of you interested in a dessert?"

"Oh, no thank you." Sydney insisted.

"Come on Sydney, let me treat you." Chris asked.

"No, it's all right-" Syd told him.

"Really, please. We'll split something."

Syd opened her mouth to protest and then closed it and smiled,

"Okay Chris, what do you want to order?"

"Whatever you want." Chris told her.

"Well maybe I want whatever you want." she reasoned.

Their waiter cleared his throat, making it clearly known that he was in a rush. They quickly ordered an ice cream sundae. When the sundae arrived at their table it came with two spoons. They both took one and began to did in. The delicious triple chocolate fudge sundae was devoured in mere minutes. When they both lied back in their chairs after finishing the dessert, Syd giggled.

"What's so funny?" Chris asked.

Sydney laughed again and pointed at him.

"Me?" he asked confused.

"Yes you," she laughed, "you have some . . . some," Syd broke off laughing before she could continue.

Chris pretended to pout and Sydney stopped laughing. She smiled at him as she reached over to his face, touched his noise, and removed a big blog of whipped cream from it. Chris blushed and said,

"Oh. That was what was so funny."

They stared silently at each other for a moment, and then broke out in laughter. When they finally stopped they made eye contact and were quiet. Syd looked into his deep, gorgeous eyes. His brown eyes seemed to be endless, they seemed to have a story to tell. And more importantly, Syd saw in that his eyes possessed something, love.

A little while later when they were exiting the restaurant Chris turned to face her and held her hands. He leaned towards her and whispered quietly into her ear,

"I love you Sydney, with all my heart."

Sydney's eyes began to water and she whispered back,

"I love you too."

And for once in her life, Syd was absolutely, positively sure of what she told him.

As they looked at each other again, Chris moved towards her again. This time he didn't aim for her ear, but for her lips.

Sydney's heart skipped a beat as she prepared for him to kiss her. But then suddenly flashes of the time she kissed Gage entered her head.

Suddenly, she wasn't absolutely, positively sure.

Sydney leaned away from him right as he was about to kiss her. He looked at her with confusion and hurt, she told him,

"I so sorry Chris. I love you, I really think I do. But I'm just not ready for this yet."

"It's okay Syd," Chris assured her, "we can take this slow. I can wait, I will always love you."

He smiled at her and she forced a smile in return. Later that night when she was in her apartment Sydney told herself,

"I love Chris. I truly, absolutely love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris. Chris loves me, and I love him. Chris and I are meant to be. I love Chris with all of my heart. I love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris. I love Chris . . . not Gage. I love Chris. Right?"


	9. Chapter 8

"How could I have let this happen?!" Gage asked himself as he sat in his apartment.

"I knew she wouldn't wait forever, so why did I wait? Now she's in love, I can see it in her eyes. I never told her, . . . how I really feel! Then Chris had to come along, I wish he was gone!"

Gage was angry, with himself and also with Chris. Why did he have to come along and wreck everything? He tried to calm himself down as he thought,

"Try to be happy, or at least pretend to be happy. Syd is happy, that's what's most important. And if Chris is wait make her happy, then so be it. Her happiness is more important than my wishes. But I swear! If he ever leaves I'll come straight with Sydney, no more secrets. I tell her the truth right away, I won't miss my opportunity next time."

The difficult part was that there might not be a next time. Syd seemed to be in love, and Chris seemed to be obsessed with her! Gage knew if Chris got the chance later in life, he would ask Syd to marry her.

Gage walked over to his large couch, sat in it, and placed his head in his hands. He let the silent tears fall from his eyes with no shame, because for the first time in his life he had something worth crying over. He was happy for Sydney, he really was. She was happy, that was what mattered. But it still didn't change the fact he had lost something, his only chance to be with Syd.

Gage felt like someone had died, it was a horrible feeling of loss. It was like Syd had died and he had lost her forever. But he knew she was in a better place, so he had to force himself to be strong.

"Why was I so stupid?!" Gage asked aloud as his tears continued to drop.

"I knew that sooner or later Syd would get involved in a relationship. I also knew that one of those relationships might include 'the one' for her. But did I try to make a move? No! I was so stupid! And now I'm paying for that stupidity, nice going Gage."

Gage wiped his eyes and smiled slightly as he remembered Walker and Alex's wedding day. Syd had looked beautiful, so very beautiful. When she had opened up to him, he felt a connection. And when she kissed him, . . . wow. It was like the forth of July, only better. It was like everything in his life was finally perfect, just like Syd. Then she asked if he wanted a beer, he had been too shocked to say anything besides, 'yeah'. Why hadn't he confronted her while he had the chance?! When he had tried to talk about it, he got a kick in the face. He should have known better to talk to her while fighting. He should have waited for the right moment and approached her differently, less intimidatingly. Why didn't he . . .

"Stop!" Gage thought, "Thinking about regrets won't help anything. This is only making me feel worse!"

He got up from the couch and stretched, in need of some movement to get his mind off things. As he walked into the kitchen he saw a photograph on a table that made him smile. It was a picture of Syd and him at one of C.D.'s parties. They were both laughing, smiling, goofing off . . . it was a great picture of them.

Gage abruptly turned his head away from the picture, not wanting to arouse anymore memories that only made him regret anymore. He decided to go for some exercise to keep himself occupied. He was about to head to the gym when he changed his mind, that would be like asking for a long trip down memory lane. He eventually decided to go on a jog. Twenties minutes later he was out the door running as fast as he could. Hoping that after his run he would be so tired he would go straight to sleep, not having to think any more about Sydney.

Gage refused to look at his surroundings, instead he just focused on running. Thankful for the distraction from his thoughts. After quite a few miles he stopped to check his watch, it was getting dark. It read 7 o'clock.

"I should probably start heading back now." Gage thought.

He then looked up and accidentally looked at his surroundings. His mouth opened in shock as he saw where he stood. Somewhere in his subconscious mind, something had been leading him to Syd's place. For a few yards ahead of him stood Syd's apartment building. Gage tried to focus on something else, but it was too late, he began to think of Sydney.

"Maybe I should drop by and say hello." Gage thought.

He then corrected himself and thought,

"No. That would be rude, it's late. She might be busy, or with Chris."

Gage continued to come up with excuses to ignore the real reason he didn't want to go in, he didn't know if he could handle it.

He sighed as he began to jog back to his apartment, he could no longer avoid his thoughts.

"It's crazy how in only a few short weeks your whole life can change," Gage thought, "it seems only yesterday that Chris was still stationed in California. Why'd he ever have to come here?!"

Then a curious thought entered his mind,

"Wait a minute, why did he come here? Chris never did tell us much about himself or his life back in California. I wonder what ever made him want to move from marvelous California to Texas? Hmm, seems kind of strange. I'll have to ask him tomorrow."

When Gage arrived at his apartment he was still thinking about Chris, why did he come here? Gage tried not to let his imagine get carried away, there really wasn't anything suspicious about Chris. Maybe he just needed a change. But Gage couldn't shake this nagging feeling that something didn't fit. It reminded him of what Walker told him, to always trust your instincts. Walker always trusted his, even when no one believed him. And he always ended up being right.

His last thought before going falling asleep was,

"Why is Chris here?!"


	10. Chapter 9

Syd rolled her eyes at Gage; he really could be annoying at times!

"Gage," she sighed, "what is this? An interrogation?"

"No," he answered, "just a very detailed questioning."

Sydney laughed and said, "Fine, whatever."

Under her breath she muttered so no one could hear, "You're worse than five older brothers combined."

Gage had spent the morning asking endless questions about Chris. He had gone from giving her the cold shoulder to asking about every single detail concerning Chris and herself. Syd was just thankful he had chosen to 'interrogate' her while Chris was out of the office. There was a few minutes of brief silence before Gage continued his questioning.

"So where did he grow up?"

"GAGE!!!" Sydney exclaimed, "Will you please STOP?!"

Gage's face contained a mixture of surprise and shock.

"Sorry Syd." he mumbled.

_Aw man, _Sydney thought, _I hope I didn't hurt his feelings._

"I just didn't know you were so cranky today." Gage continued with a smile.

Sydney rolled her eyes again, she obviously hadn't injured his self-esteem. Just then Chris walked into the room. She instantly lit up and stood up the meet him. Chris gave her a peck on the cheek and she hugged him in return. She returned to her desk with a smile on her face. As she sat down she looked at Gage whose facial expressions had turned negative very quickly.

Syd didn't understand why Gage was acting this way! He was her partner, her friend. He should be happy for her. Gage seemed to like Chris well enough before he asked her out. She didn't get why them dating would change the way he felt about Chris. Syd wished Gage would understand that this was the first time she had felt like this about a guy in a long, long time. She didn't want Gage to blow it for them! But then again, she didn't want to blow her friendship with Gage for Chris. She just wished Gage would talk to her! The maybe she could understand what on earth was going on in that head of his!

"Chris, Gage, Sydney." Walker said, entering the room with Trivette, "I need you three to go down to a place called, "Bary's Gym". There's some major drug dealing around there and Alex just got the warrants to take the place down, but I suspect there might be trouble."

"We're on it Walker," Chris said, standing up simultaneously with Syd and Gage.

The three of them walked down to the garage, Syd began to follow Gage to his car when Chris stopped her.

"Aren't you riding with me Syd?" he asked, wearing a hurt face,

"Chris," Sydney whispered, not wanting to be heard by Gage, "I'm really happy we're together. But we have to separate work from our personal lives. Gage is my partner, I'll be riding with him."

Chris didn't look happy with the arrangement, but he didn't protest. When Syd got into the car Gage asked her with a smile, "What was all that about? He jealous?"

"None of your business." Syd answered while punching him on the arm.

Gage chuckled as he started the car and began to drive with Chris following behind them. A little less than twenty minutes later they parked in the parking lot of a scrumpy looking building with an old sign that read, Bary's Gym.

"So how do we want to take this down?" Sydney asked Gage.

"I say let's wing it." Gage smiled.

"Works for me." Syd smiled back.

But as they got out of the car Chris asked them, "Do we have a plan for this?"

"Just making it up as we go along," Gage told him.

Chris frowned, "I don't know if this is how you Texans usually do it, but in California we usually go in somewhat prepared. Someone could get hurt."

"Yeah," Gage agreed, "a bunch a drug dealers could definitely get hurt."

Syd smiled but Chris showed no sign of amusement on his face.

"Fine," he complied, "I'll try this your way. But I'm telling you, someone will get hurt or something will go wrong and it will be your fault."

Syd approached Chris and put her arms around him as she laughed, "Loosen up a little, will ya?"

The three of them walked into the gym and Syd made a beeline for the counter. She rang the bell and a large, tattooed man came to her.

"What little lady?"

"We're Texas Rangers and we have a warrant to close down this place and make several arrests if necessary."

"Cops in the house!" the man yelled as he ran to the back room.

"Always the hard way!" Gage sighed as he chased after the man.

Meanwhile, Chris and Sydney went on to round up the countless men in the gym who were attempting to escape through a back entrance. Syd cornered three of them in a storage room and began to fight them. It didn't take too long and in a few minutes all three men were in handcuffs. Not too far away she heard Chris fighting.

"Hey Chris!" Syd called, "Do you need any help?"

She heard him yell, "No, I'm fine Syd." His voice sounded strained so she decided to see if everything was all right. But just then she heard a large bang and yelp from the front room.

"Gage?" she called. When she got no answer, Sydney left the room to see if Gage needed any help.

She entered the main room just as the man from the counter ran into there from the back room with a knife in his hand. Behind him, she saw Gage stumbling out of the back room rubbing his head. Syd leaped forward, about to knock the knife from the man's hand when he suddenly threw the knife and she felt a stabbing pain in her left arm.

Sydney gasped and made eye contact with Gage, whose eyes had grown wide. She stumbled and then fell against the wall, leaning on it for support. She was vaguely aware of Gage a few yards from her, finally placing a pair of handcuffs on the large man's arms. After doing so, Gage rushed towards her, placing his arms around her and letting her lean on him for support, and exclaimed, "Oh Shorty! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault! I shouldn't have let him get away from me! Are you okay? I'm calling an ambulance."

Just then Chris rushed into the room, gasping for breath as he told them, "They're all rounded up back there. Did you get everyone over- oh my God! Sydney! Are you all right? What happened?!" Chris rushed forward, pushing Gage out of the way, and held Sydney in his arms.

"Oh baby," he said, "I'm so sorry. I should have been here. Gage! Did you call the ambulance yet? This is all your fault! I told you someone could get hurt!"

Syd had finally left her dazed and numbed state. The pain hit her harder and she grimaced. Chris noticed and began yelling at Gage some more.

"Chris," Sydney whispered.

"Chris!" she yelled after she wasn't able to gain his attention.

Both Chris and Gage looked at her with concern in their eyes. "What is it Syd? Are you in pain?" the two men said in unison and immediately scowled at each one another.

"What?" Sydney asked, "In pain? Well no duh! But that isn't the issue here!"

"Sydney, what are you talking about?" Chris asked, clearly shocked.

"Why are you yelling at Gage?!" Syd continued, now angry at Chris for yelling at her partner. "This wasn't his fault anymore than it was yours! If it's anyone's fault it's mine! I didn't act quickly enough. Even if it was Gage's fault, you shouldn't be treating him this way. And it isn't even that bad of an injury! As rangers we all know the risks. We can't go blaming one another every time someone gets hurt! Don't they teach you that in California?!"

By that point Sydney had been all but screaming. She pulled away from his grasp and walked towards the door.

"I'll be waiting outside for the paramedics if anyone needs me," she concluded with bitterness in her voice.

She sat outside huffing and puffing from her speech. After she calmed down though she began to cringe, the pain was returning again. She heard silence from within the gym, she had probably left them both shocked. After a few minutes though, she heard them moving around. Not too long later Gage came outside, he looked briefly at her and then asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've just been stabbed with a knife and then enraged by my boyfriend." Sydney answered with the same bitterness in her voice.

Gage didn't respond to her comment but moved to his car and said into the radio, "Walker, Trivette? This is Gage. Come in."

Sydney heard Walker answer, "This is Walker, come in Gage."

"Hey Walker, we're all finished here but Syd's been hurt."

"How bad is it?"

"I think she'll be okay. She got stabbed with a knife in her arm. The paramedics should be here any minute. Could you send someone down to gather up the drug dealers here?"

"Sure, I'll send someone right down. Trivette and I will meet you at the hospital."

"Okay, thanks Walker. Bye.

"Bye."

The ambulance then pulled into the parking lot and two paramedics put Sydney on a board. She didn't think it was necessary, but she suddenly felt too tired to protest. Chris climbed into the ambulance with her, and much to his dislike so did Gage. There was an akward silence between the three of them the whole ride to the hospital.


End file.
